Martha Stewart Bloody Mary

Martha Stewart Bloody Mary takes about 10 minutes and tomato juice, fresh lemon, horseradish and garlic to make a spicy, make-ahead brunch cocktail with plenty of kick. It's an easy brunch drink for summer weekends, lazy mornings or a holiday crowd, and the mix keeps well in the fridge for days.

Taste the mix before any vodka goes in and keep adjusting until it is properly spicy, because ice and vodka water it down in the glass. Skip that check and the finished drink tastes flat and thin, more like warm tomato juice than a real Bloody Mary.

Martha leaves out the usual celery salt and lets a fresh celery stalk do the work as a garnish instead. The horseradish and pressed garlic give the mix a punch that wakes you up. The mix is made in a lidded container, so you only shake it once.

Martha Stewart Bloody Mary

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Course: BeverageCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

110

kcal

A thick, bright red tomato mix with a sharp horseradish and garlic bite, shaken with vodka over ice. It finishes with a squeeze of lemon and a crisp celery stalk, and the batch makes enough for a crowd.

Ingredients

• 4 cups tomato juice
  

• Juice of 2 large lemons
  

• 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  

• 1 heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
  

• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
  

• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
  

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  

• Unflavored vodka, to taste
  

• Lemon wedges, for serving
  

• Celery sticks, for serving and munching
  

Directions

• Combine the mix: Pour 4 cups tomato juice into a large container with a tight-fitting lid, then add the juice of 2 large lemons. Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, pepper and Tabasco.
• Shake and season: Put the lid on tight and shake vigorously until everything is blended. Then taste it and adjust the seasoning, because the mixture should be quite spicy.
• Shake with vodka: Fill a shaker with ice, then add 1 part vodka and 3 parts Bloody Mary mix. Shake well so the drink gets properly cold.
• Pour and finish: Pour into glasses, then squeeze a lemon wedge over each drink and discard the used wedge. Don't stir or shake the drink again after that.
• Garnish and serve: Garnish each glass with a large stick of celery and a big lemon wedge. Keep the extra celery stalks on the side for munching.

Tools for this recipe

• OXO Steel cocktail shaker, Bormioli Rocco glass pitcher with lid, Zulay metal lemon squeezer. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make the Bloody Mary mix ahead of time?

Yes, the mix is made without the vodka, so it holds well in a lidded container in the fridge. Shake it again before pouring, since the horseradish and pepper settle at the bottom.

How do I make a virgin Bloody Mary?

Leave out the vodka and pour the spicy mix straight over ice. Keep the lemon squeeze and celery garnish, because they give the drink its fresh finish.

Can I swap the vodka for something else?

Tequila gives you a Bloody Maria, and gin makes a Red Snapper. The recipe calls for unflavored vodka, so a neutral spirit works best if you want the horseradish and garlic to stay in front.

How do I make it less spicy?

Start with 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, then taste and build from there. You can also trim the horseradish a little, but the mix should still taste quite spicy before the ice goes in.

What's the most common mistake with a Bloody Mary?

Stirring or shaking after the lemon squeeze is the usual slip, since the recipe says to leave the drink alone at that point. Another one is under-seasoning the mix, because melting ice will dilute it in the glass.